Greg C don't think they count ships that weren't commissioned. Certainly not ones which weren't christened.

I can't explain policy

Best
Larry

By the Navy News Service

1898 - Battle of Manila Bay, Adm Dewey defeats Spanish at Manila, Philippines

1934 - LT Akers demonstrates blind landing system at College Park, MD in OJ-2 aircraft

1945 - VADM Barbey lands Australian troops on Tarakan Island, Borneo, supported by naval gunfire

1951 - USS Princeton aircraft attack Hwachon Dam using aerial torpedoes, only use of this weapon in Korean War

1980 - 11 Navy ships begin operations assisting Coast Guard in rescuing Cuban refugees fleeing Cuba in overcrowded boats

Designated SSN 777, the fourth submarine of the Virginia-class will bear the name North Carolina to honor the Tar Heel State. The submarine will be the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to bear the name North Carolina. The first was a 74-gun ship-of-the-line that served from 1820 to 1836. The second North Carolina was a Tennessee-class armored cruiser that was built at the Newport News shipyard and served from 1908 to 1921. The third North Carolina was the first of the Navy's modern battleships, serving from 1940 to 1947, earning 12 battle stars for service during World War II. The battleship now serves in Wilmington, N.C., as a memorial for all North Carolinians who served in World War II.

Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Linda Bowman, wife of retired Adm. Frank "Skip" Bowman, former director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion, will serve as sponsor of North Carolina. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when Bowman gives the first order to "man our ship and bring her to life!"

The Virginia-class is designed and built to fulfill all current warfighting requirements and provides the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation's undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. Equally adept at operating in the world's shallow littoral regions and deep waters, North Carolina and her sister ships will significantly contribute to the mission areas of anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; special operations forces; strike; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; battle group support; and mine warfare.

Capt. Mark E. Davis will become the ship's first commanding officer and will lead a crew of approximately 134 officers and enlisted personnel. North Carolina will be homeported in Groton, Conn., as a member of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

The 7,800-ton North Carolina was built under a teaming arrangement between Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat. North Carolina is 337 feet in length, has a beam of 34 feet, and can operate at depths greater than 800 feet and at speeds exceeding 25 knots submerged. North Carolina is also designed with a reactor plant which will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship-reducing lifecycle costs while increasing operational availability.

Hopefully when we pull in our cancel will be waiting for us. I have a few covers from some of the members already. Please let everyone know that if they would like on stamped "MPS" to send me a SASE and a blank envelope (no stamp required) for the cancel.

Take Care
carl

CS1(SW) Carl Schmidt
USS Fitzgerald DDG-62
S-2 Division
FPO AP 96665

Gates Says 2nd Carrier in Gulf is 'Reminder' to Iran
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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MEXICO CITY —  Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that sending a second U.S. aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf could serve as a "reminder" to Iran, but he said it's not an escalation of force.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Mexican leaders, Gates said heightening U.S. criticism of Iran and its support for terror groups is not a signal that the administration is laying the groundwork for a strike against Tehran.
Still, he said Iran continues to back the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"I do not have a sense at this point of a significant increase in Iranian support for the Taliban and others opposing the government in Afghanistan," Gates said. "There is, as best I can tell, a continuing flow, but I would still characterize it as relatively modest."
His comments contrasted with those from Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said last week that he had not seen any new signs of Iranian support for the Taliban.
Gates played down the addition of a second carrier to the Gulf, saying that the number of ships there rises and falls continuously. He said he doesn't expect there to two carriers there for a long time.

Asked if the carrier move went hand in hand with the rising U.S. rhetoric against Iran, Gates said, "I don't see it as an escalation. I think it could be seen, though, as a reminder."
In the past, military officials have said that beefing up the Navy's presence in the Gulf was a way to show that that the U.S. remains committed to the region. And they have acknowledged it also serves as a show of force for other countries there, such as Iran.
In recent weeks, U.S. officials have ratcheted up their complaints that Iran is increasing its efforts to supply weapons and training to militants in Iraq.
Military commanders in Baghdad are expected to roll out evidence of that support soon — including date stamps on newly found weapons caches showing that recently made Iranian weapons are flowing into Iraq at a steadily increasing rate.
Another senior military official said the evidence will include mortars, rockets, small arms, roadside bombs and armor-piercing explosives — known as explosively formed penetrators or EFPs — that troops have discovered in caches in recent months. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the evidence has not yet been made public, said that dates on some of the weapons were well after Tehran signaled late last year that it was scaling back aid to insurgents.
Speaking of Afghanistan on Tuesday, Gates said that the Taliban is changing its tactics there — from large-scale firefighters to a "significant increase in terrorist acts," including roadside bombs and suicide attacks, similar to the one that unsuccessfully targeted Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday.
At least one police officer has been arrested in connection with the assassination attempt, deepening concerns about the Taliban's infiltration of Afghan security forces.
Gates said, however, he does not have a sense that the infiltration is any worse that it has been before. He said that it is important to screen the security forces well and that military trainers working with those forces need to make that a focus of their efforts.

From the Navy News Service

1798 - Congress establishes Department of the Navy!

1975 - Saigon falls to North Vietnamese forces:(

The ships just started to receive their new cancellation for GWF over the past couple of weeks. We were trying to get the stamp eveloped,
produced and sent out to all ships ASAP but there were wickets that we had to jump through first. This process was started to late to get the stamp out to our ships by the Feb 22 2008 date and you know that it's illegal to back date a letter. All ships with post offices either have the stamp or soon will have the stamp and will be cancelling all outgoing mail until 22 Feb 2009. After that date the can cancellations
will be destroyed. Have a nice day. George

PCCM (SW) George R. Card
Fleet Postal Officer
U.S. Fleet Forces Command

From the Navy News Service

1814 - USS Peacock captures HMS Epervier.

1898 - U.S. warships engage Spanish gunboats and shore batteries at Cienfuegos, Cuba.

1944 - Fast carrier task force (12 carriers) commence two-day bombing of Truk.

1975 - Operation Frequent Wind evacuation from Vietnam begins.

http://origin.eastbaymedia.com/%7Enmc/asx/uss-nc/uss-nc.asx

Hit the LOG-Society Jornal button on the left to see the goodies.

Paul: Interesting challenge. ALDEN sailed from Vladivostok en route to Chefoo, China on August 1st, 1937. She next appears on December 11th in Manila. In between ?? The KB location makes no sense to this veteran of the 7th Fleet.

Left a few for you to look over it if you wanted. They may have been "gobbled up" on Saturday though.

It was a good show......

Stewart. Tough to find 12k beers in the IO. Some from other ships, some from Diego Garcia and other places in the supply system. Some came by unrep from other ships high line and help some even by s3 COD. Afraid to think of the cost.

I will have to write an expanded version for the hook with adm batzler's photos
Best
Larry

Terrible trip on 84 north of Windsor. Must have been a fatal accident stopped for 1+ hour.

E bay price for the Ortiz jersey removed dep the new yankee stadium was $175,100 for the jimmy fund

A couple of good books which were finalists for the NY council navy League's roosevelts' book award. Still's crisis at sea a great account of USN in wwi lots of details but expensive, $100. Adm holloway's carriers at war by usni. Interesting account of carrier ops post wwii through cold war. Poor proof reading and fact checking. Craig felker's account of fleet exercises in the 20s and 30s. Lots of overview but could use details of times and ships involved. Good source since many covers were sponsored for fleet exercises in the 30s.

Larry

Five U.S. Navy ships and a Coast Guard Cutter with more than 2,500 sailors, marines and coast guardsmen will arrive in Port Everglades beginning around 7:30 a.m. Monday.

The first ship to arrive will be the guided missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57). Following ships will include USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), a guided missile cruiser, USS Ramage (DDG 61), a guided missile destroyer, USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) a fast attack submarine and Atlantic-patrolling Coast Guard Cutter Reliance (WMEC 615).

The dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) will arrive later in the day, and the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) will already be pier side after arriving Sunday evening.

As promised here is a sacn of the USS MARYLAND COVER
http://capecodmouse.com/jakej/pix/USSMARYLANDCOVER.jpg

Also here is the Old Salts aboard her,its a large scan,give it time to load
http://capecodmouse.com/jakej/pix/USS%20MarylandSailors2.jpg

Looks like the carriers have theirs. Anybody have covers from the small boys?

Past will meet present Monday as the Navy's newest nuclear attack submarine powers up the Cape Fear River in preparation for a commissioning ceremony 10 a.m. May 3 at the Port of Wilmington.

It is expected to arrive at 2 p.m. Monday.

The USS North Carolina is the fourth vessel and first submarine to bear the state's name, which it shares with the World War II battleship near downtown Wilmington. Local politicians, including U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre and Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, will greet the sub and crew at a welcoming ceremony from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday.

The event kicks off a week of celebrations, including a 5K race on Tuesday, a fireworks show on Friday, and the commissioning Saturday. Donald C. Winter, the Secretary of the Navy, will be the featured speaker at the ceremony. Organizers expect 5,000 visitors to attend. Attendance at the commissioning is by Navy invite only.

Boxer group deploys Monday. Cjcs attacks Iran on violence and weapons in Iraq. Coincidence?

Larry

I pick up new applications this weekend and will send them to you next week.

The USCGC EAGLE is nearing the Panama Canal.

Phil. Thanks. I'm glad they published the comment. I would have given you the two empty cans but my father's widow lost them. Every try to get 12k beers at sea?

Wills. Should be lots of pre war covers from Tennessee and neosho.

Larry

Anyhow, I am at k4ape@core.com

Hope someone has one for the Tennessee or the neosho

Willis

Anyway won the two cover for .99c so don't think I can go to far wrong with them.

From the Navy News Service

1778 - The Continental Navy sloop Ranger captures HMS Drake.

1862 - Battle of New Orleans; Union Navy under David Farragut runs past forts into Mississippi River.

1884 - USS Thetis, Bear and Alert sailed from New York to search for Greeley expedition lost in Arctic.

1906- Ceremonies at Naval Academy commemorate John Paul Jones; President Theodore Roosevelt delivers speech.

1917 - A destroyer squadron departs Boston for European service.

1959 - The Organization of American States asks the United States to establish naval patrols off the east coast of Panama to prevent invasion of Cuban forces.

1974 - Naval forces begin minesweeping operations in the Suez Canal Zone.

1981 - RCA delivers to the Navy, NOVA I, the 1st production unit of the improved navigational satellite.

Stewart...Will probably see you Friday at WESTPEX...Lilely the same place we usually meet up at these stamp shows.

What I need, and very quickly, is a U.S.S TENNESSEE(BB-43) and a U.S.S. NEOSHO (AO-24) with dates before 1942. Can be very plan, no cachets or anything special.

In Sept 2008 I plan on showing an exhibit at the Atlanta, GA show. I had one of each of these at one time and can not find them. If anyone has one for sale, please let me know here or off the list.

Thanks.
Willis

Dave K - are the tourists going to Grand Cayman to visit their money?

My older daughter, Jennifer, gave birth this AM to our first granddaughter. Caia Morgan. Mother and daugher, as well as grand mother, are all doing well.

Can I request certain covers that I need to complete my exhibit?

Thanks

Willis

Who all are going to WESTPEX??
I'm planning to be there on Friday.

I don't have many merchant ship. There has to be some boundary line to my collecting interests
Larry

From the Navy News Service

1918 - USS Stewart (DD 13) destroys German submarine off France.

1934 - In the first Navy movement through the Panama Canal, more than 100 ships transited.

1945 - In only U.S. use of guided missiles in World War II, two BAT missiles release at Balikpapan, Borneo.

1956 - Project Vanguard, earth satellite launching program, assigned to Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air).

The B17, 24 & 25 are in SD right now. Their schedule is available on the web if you look up Collings Foundation.

My big bummer of the day is that my GWF Kansas covers got returned blank. I must have sent to the wrong PO in Staten Island.

Regular Gas was $3.49 today when i filled up.

Mike Brock, one will be in the mail to you tomorrow (to go with the Portland, Maine cover).

There are a few more hours today. I should have worked the weekend in the office but...

I guess I shouldn't complain about gasoline prices. Diesel is higher but in NJ all grades still are well below $4.00 per gallon. I wonder how bad the prices in Hawaii are?

Larry

In nj regular is about $3.25 to $3.30 per gallon. SF must be 50 cents higher. Larry

Hello Steve
Hope all is well back in the States. We are currently underway again that is why I am emailing you the latest and greatest on the GWF Cancellation news from Force Postal

Immediately upon receipt, postal clerks and postal petty officers are required to use this commemorative stamp on all outgoing mail and philatelic mail covers from personal collectors (Max of 5 each).

Two GWF cancellation stamps have been ship to all SURFOR Ships at no cost to the Ships. All SURFOR Ships with a Post Office are required to make a receipt report, via email, to me. A consolidated report will be forwarded to USFF to acknowledge that all ships have received the GWF cancellation stamp, and have started using the cancellation on all outgoing mail.

In order to protect this distinctive cancellation, it is imperative that special marking be affixed on all bags, trays and plastic bins stating, "Great White Fleet philatelic mail enclosed, please do not deface to prevent GWF embossing from being ruined by secondary machine cancellations at receiving USPS sites".

I will let you know if I hear more or when we get the cancellation on board ship. I received my membership package in the mail. Thank You for the cover that was enclosed.

Take Care
Carl

CS1 (SW) Carl Schmidt
USS Fitzgerald DDG-62
MCFE, CHM, CPFM
JOD/MDMAA
S-2 Division

Many THANKS for the help with the SS Penny covers, I'll pass it along to the present owner, hopefully in a week I might own them.

My mailbox is jammed full of articles and cover scans--Larry has been busy.

We have a nice backlog of articles to fill in with Fakes and forgery series and the GWF series.

This year's LOG issues have some of the best research and writing we have ever had.

Still reading thos letters, kind of like a soap opera

Description
NO E MAILS PAYPAL ONLY BUYERS MEXICO AND CANADA MAIL COST CLOSE TO U.S. POSSIBLE FUTURE BUYER BLOCK ON REFUNDS TO SEE MY ITEMS FOR SALE BEST GO TO OLD POST CARDS IN SEARCH PUT OLD IN FRONT OF POST CARDS I TRY HARD TO SEND NO DOUBLES OR DAMAGED CARDS I AM LUCKY TO FIND CARDS TO SEND OUT CAN NOT HELP ON QUESTIONS LIKE WHAT TOWN WERE THEY MAILED BEFORE ETC ETC IF MUST KNOW SUCH A THING DO NOT BID PLEASE PAY WITHIN 15 DAYS RECORDS GO CRAZY WHEN LATER ALL CARDS 1930 AND BEFORE SIZE NO BIG OR ODD SIZE NO ADDED INFO GIVEN ON ANY LOT GO BY PICTURE DO NOT BID IF MUST KNOW MORE

WHO, WHAT, WHY?
The Magazine answers...

It's bad luck if the bubbly doesn't break when christening a ship, so P&O has recruited the Royal Marines to launch supersize liner Ventura. What are other tricks of the trade?

It is traditional when launching a ship for VIP to swing a champagne bottle at the bows.

But Dame Helen Mirren - the "godmother" of P&O's newest liner Ventura - will instead command a team of Royal Marines to abseil down the ship and smash the bottle against the hull in Wednesday's naming ceremony in Southampton.

This is because maritime lore holds that if the bottle fails to smash, the ship will be destined for an unlucky life at sea.

THE ANSWER
Score the bottle
Choose cava - bigger bubbles
Give bottle a good shake
Pick biggest possible bottle - jeroboam better than magnum
Use stiff rope or wire
X-ray boat to find hardest part of bow - and aim there

Last year the Duchess of Cornwall failed to smash a bottle on the side of cruise liner Queen Victoria; later scores of passengers were taken ill with a contagious stomach bug.

To avoid this ill omen, the shipping industry has many tricks to ensure the bubbly breaks.

Champagne bottles are extremely tough, having been designed to withstand high pressure, but it only takes a tiny defect, such as a bubble in the glass, to compromise its strength, says Dr Mark Miodownik, a material scientist at King's College London.

"Glass is a very hard material. If you want to make a defect in it, you'll find it very difficult, but a diamond is stronger. My top tip would be to score the bottle with a diamond."

WHO, WHAT, WHY?
A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines

It's a trick familiar to P&O chairman Sir John Parker, who has launched several ships in his time. "When I was a shipbuilder, we always scored the bottle. Used a glass cutter. It enormously increased the chances of it smashing."
While the Marines have been practising with scored bottles, Captain Roderic Yapp RM says these smashed so easily against Ventura's hull that an intact bottle will be used in the ceremony.

Size matters

Dr Miodownik says that mathematical probability, rope type and bubble size all come into it. The bigger the bottle, the higher the mathematical probability of a natural defect, so he recommends using a jeroboam.

Forget about vintage, it's bubble size that counts. "The bigger the bubbles, the higher the pressure inside the bottle, the more likely it is to break on impact. The best option is probably to go for a cheap bottle of cava with big bubbles."
And increase this effect by giving the bottle a good shake.

A rope which has any elasticity in it will absorb the energy, so steer clear, says Dr Miodownik. Better than rope would be a length of wire.

While most ship bows are made of rigid steel, some parts will be even more solid than others - so x-ray the bow, locate the groins (main support structures) and take aim for these.

Then there is who - or what - will do the throwing. Ahead of Ventura's launch, a Royal Marine who specialises in ropework and mountaineering conducted a recce of the ship.

MARITIME TRADITIONS
Ship is always female
Woman appointed godmother to act as guardian angel
Never change name of boat - very bad luck

Later this month, Royal Caribbean International will do away with the human element altogether when they launch their own large cruise liner. Their godmother will press a button to activate a special machine to smash the champagne.

But this is by no means foolproof. When Jodie and Jemma Kidd helped launch Ocean Village Two a year ago, the automated mechanism failed to smash the bottle. A crew member on board had to step in and do the honours.

Story from BBC NEWS:

1863 - Union gunboats pass Confederate batteries at Vicksburg.

1924 - Navy commences relief operations in Mississippi Valley floods, lasting until June 16.

1947 - Act of Congress gives Navy Nurse Corps members commissioned rank.

1959 - Helicopters from USS Edisto (AGB 2) begin rescue operations in Montevideo, Uruguay. By April 26, they had carried 277 flood victims to safety.

2008 - Tax returns filed this day are a day late.

There are about ten letters in this paket, can't remember how I came by them, think they were in a box lot I picked up some years back. Gonna see if I can get through reading them all tonite, should be interesting.
Did find two old photos in one of them taken aboard the Maryland. In one sailor is wearing 'Whites" the other they are in "Blues"
Will try to scan them later this week, right now the better half as the scanner, so have to wait my turn LOL

Postmaster

7001 S Central Ave

Los Angeles CA 90052-9990

Preparing wonderful gwf covers thanks to georg and Phil.

Why not a usmc section in the postal museum. It is an important part of our hobby.

Hey JAKE how you doing

Published: April 15, 2008
For a decade, metallurgists studying the hulk of the Titanic have argued that the storied liner went down fast after hitting the iceberg because the ship’s builder used substandard rivets that popped their heads and let tons of icy seawater rush in. More than 1,500 people died.

The Weak Link of the Titanic

» Now, a team of scientists has moved into deeper waters, uncovering evidence in the builder’s own archives of a deadly mix of great ambition and low quality iron that doomed the ship, which sank 96 years ago Tuesday. Historians say the riddle of the disaster has finally been solved.

The scientists found that the ship’s builder, Harland & Wolff, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, struggled for years to obtain adequate supplies of rivets and riveters to build the world’s three biggest ships at once — the Titanic and two sisters, Olympic and Britannic.

Each required three million rivets, and shortages peaked during Titanic’s construction.

“The board was in crisis mode,” Jennifer Hooper McCarty, a team member who studied the archive, said in an interview. “It was constant stress. Every meeting it was, ‘There’s problems with the rivets and we need to hire more people.’ ”

The team collected other clues from 48 Titanic rivets, modern tests, computer simulations, comparisons to century-old metals as well as careful documentation of what engineers and shipbuilders of that era considered state of the art.

The scientists say the troubles all began when the colossal plans forced Harland & Wolff to reach beyond its usual suppliers of rivet iron and include smaller forges, as disclosed in company and British government papers. Small forges tended to have less skill and experience.

Adding to the threat, the company, in buying iron for Titanic’s rivets, ordered No. 3 bar, known as “best” — not No. 4, known as “best-best,” the scientists found. They also discovered that shipbuilders of the day typically used No. 4 iron for anchors, chains and rivets.

So the liner, whose name was meant to be synonymous with opulence, in at least one instance relied on cheap materials.

The scientists studied 48 rivets that divers recovered over two decades from the Titanic’s resting place — two miles down in the North Atlantic — and found many riddled with high concentrations of slag. A glassy residue of smelting, slag can make rivets brittle and prone to fracture.

“Some material the company bought was not rivet quality,” said Timothy Foecke, a team member at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a federal agency in Gaithersburg, Md.

The company also faced shortages of skilled riveters, according to archive papers. Dr. McCarty said that for a half year, from late 1911 to April 1912, when Titanic set sail, the company’s board addressed the shortfalls at every meeting.

For instance, on October 28, 1911, Lord William Pirrie, the company’s chairman, expressed concern over the lack of riveters and called for new hiring efforts.

In their research, the scientists found that good riveting took great skill. The iron had to be heated to a precise cherry red color and beaten by the right combination of hammer blows. Mediocre work could hide problems.

“Hand riveting was tricky,” said Dr. McCarty, whose doctoral thesis at Johns Hopkins University analyzed Titanic’s rivets.

Steel beckoned as a solution. Shipbuilders of the day were moving from iron to steel rivets, which were stronger. And machines could install them, improving workmanship and avoiding labor problems.

The rival Cunard line, the scientists found, had switched to steel rivets years before, using them, for instance, throughout the Lusitania.

The scientists discovered that Harland & Wolff also used steel rivets — but only on Titanic’s central hull, where stresses were expected to be greatest. Iron rivets were chosen for the ship’s stern and bow.

And the bow, as fate would have it, is where the iceberg struck. Studies of the wreck show that six seams opened up in the ship’s bow plates. And the damage, Dr. Foecke noted, “ends close to where the rivets transition from iron to steel.”

The scientists argue that better rivets would have probably kept the Titanic afloat long enough for rescuers to have arrived before the icy plunge, saving hundreds of lives.

The two metallurgists make their case, and detail their archive findings, in “What Really Sank the Titanic,” a new book by Citadel Press.

Reactions run from anger to admiration. James Alexander Carlisle, whose grandfather was a Titanic riveter, has bluntly denounced the rivet theory on his Web site. “NO WAY!”

For its part, Harland & Wolff, after long silence, now rejects the charge. “There was nothing wrong with the materials,” Joris Minne, a company spokesman, said last week. He noted that Olympic sailed without incident for 24 years, until retirement.

David Livingstone, a former Harland & Wolff official, called the bo